The heart of a community, a cultural center, a place for enrichment and entertainment, an information and education resource, a vital service, a local history and genealogy repository, a reader’s delight, a place for lifelong learning, a job and career center, a family and children’s place, a technology center, a lifeline — these are words that have been used to describe the public library.
Priceless is another way of putting it. Seventy-eight percent of those interviewed in a recent national study about the value of the public library said they would not give up their library card for any amount of money.
This well-regarded institution, the public library, could be in serious trouble in Pennsylvania. The state budget currently under debate could have cuts to public libraries as deep as 50 percent and could eliminate important services.
This would be devastating to our public libraries that have always operated very frugally to provide services to all ages and all people in their community.
In Centre County, the public libraries could lose $470,000 in state funds. This comes at a time when use is at its highest. During hard times, public libraries are used more. As people cancel magazine subscriptions, stop buying or renting books or movies, cut back on vacations, need help looking for work or gaining job skills, and give up high-speed Internet access, they turn to the public library to fill their needs.
We have seen this in Centre County; more people than ever are visiting the libraries, using resources and services and checking out materials.
A total of 66,000 people, about half the county population, have a current public library card. These cardholders check out 1 million items each year. Visits number 450,000 to our five libraries and the bookmobile each year and 38,000 children, teens and adults attend library programs.
These proposed cuts would cripple our libraries: fewer new books purchased, hours and staff reduced, and services eliminated or cut back.
Also in jeopardy are the POWER Library databases used by students and adults for research and information; daily delivery service between libraries; statewide borrowing privileges; and AskHerePA, an online 24/7 reference service.
If state funding is reduced, federal funding to the state also will be reduced, which would be doubly destructive.
The federal government provides funds for innovative grants, critical statewide initiatives, training opportunities, advisory services and more. Pennsylvania could lose another $3 million in federal funds.
The public library is here for the community day in and a day out. It is time for the community to be here for the library.
Please let your state senator, representative and the governor know that you want library funding to remain level with 2008 amounts. Tell them how important the library is to you, your family and your community. Call, visit or write them now.
Take the public library off the endangered list.
Betsy Allen is co-administrator of the Centre County Federation of Public Libraries and director of Schlow Centre Region Library, State College. She can be reached at ballen@schlowlibrary.org.
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